Automotive NVH: Eliminating Road Noise

Exterior NVH can directly affect the ambience within a vehicle cabin as opposed to causing secondary vibrations and harshness. Variations or loose media on the road surface are a significant cause of primary automotive NVH that can be detrimental to the driver and passenger experience.

Automotive noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) can be rudimentarily characterised as either interior or exterior sources. A source of interior automotive NVH can be influenced by exterior sources such as terrain variations, which can cause reciprocating vibrations through the drivetrain and into internal parts. Rattling of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) components can be exacerbated or indeed caused by inefficient damping of road noise at the source.

Exterior NVH can also directly affect the ambience within a vehicle cabin as opposed to causing secondary vibrations and harshness. Variations or loose media on the road surface are a significant cause of primary automotive NVH that can be detrimental to the driver and passenger experience.

This blog post will explore some of the products available from Tecman UK to reduce the experience of automotive NVH generated by road excitation.

Automotive NVH: Road Excitation

Road excitation is the leading cause of automotive NVH. This encapsulates constant noise from wheel contact with the road surface and intermittent occurrences of NVH that may arise due to abrupt terrain variations. There is an array of established products designed to reduce the experience of NVH generated through wheel-contact with tarmac or concrete, from under trays to wheel arch linings.

An undertray is a piece of shielding designed to fit the profile of a vehicle’s undercarriage. This can be made of aluminium, a polymer composite, non-woven foam, or a novel fabric material. Metal undertrays do little to reduce the propagation of road noise through the vehicle superstructure, particularly when bolted to the chassis. This arrangement can be a significant cause of exterior rattling.

A fleece undertray with suitable acoustic and thermal insulation qualities can provide the requisite mechanical functionality with a substantial reduction in automotive NVH generated by the road surface. The acoustic damping properties of the fleece itself can be enhanced by eliminating mechanical fixtures and fitting the undertray using a secure automotive adhesive with additional sound attenuation characteristics.

This combination can be used throughout the vehicle to eliminate or reduce various sources of exterior automotive NVH. Wheel arch linings, for example, can be custom-formed in a heavy-duty layer comprising an advanced insulating material with a robust adhesive backing. These can be designed with hydrophobic properties and good toughness to provide long-lasting performance against typical weathering elements.

Automotive NVH Management with Tecman Advanced Material Engineers

Tecman is a specialist in product design for automotive NVH management. We operate on a holistic basis to provide unique material solutions for distinct sources of noise, vibration, and harshness in vehicles of all classifications. Cost and efficiency are at the forefront of our operation, and we provide a broad range of materials to suit all vehicles types.

If you would like any more information about the products we offer for managing automotive NVH generated by road noise, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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